Lifeguards in training

Now, obviously it’s just silly to generalize like that, and even though the myth isn’t true I’d have to guess that it holds at least some merit and that a much higher percentage of white people, vs. black, are able to swim.

I’d love some perspective on this from any of our black readers, so please leave a comment below if you have an opinion on the subject.

Kite surfing at Big Bay

I wonder how regular beach-goers feel about having surfers wiz past with pointy boards at break-neck speeds. I’d probably rather find an alternative spot to swim.

Camps Bay beach

Imagine being an alien and arriving at earth to observe our race. Assuming that (a) aliens exist, and (b) their world doesn’t have the concept perfect beach weather, wouldn’t our practice of spending time at the beach look kinda odd?

Hit the beach early!

You may agree that these are great reasons to get to the beach super early – like before 9am! While the reasons I mention are good ones the best reason of all is that it’s a good idea to get your naked skin out of the sun between 11am and 4pm.

It’s easy to forget that our sun is more harsh these days than it was 10 or 15 years ago. I remember as a kid not having to pay as much attention to the sun’s ravaging rays; I guess the scientists who made such a big thing of the depletion of the atmosphere’s ozone layer had a point.

I’m not partial to leathery skin, I don’t relish the thought of skin cancer, and I kinda like the look of untanned skin – which is why I always use SPF30+ sunscreen when spending time outdoors. If you don’t already, it’s probably a good idea for you to do the same.

Sea geese

Click on the photo to see the large version – isn’t the fluffy liddl’ gosling cute?

Three Anchor Bay

Even though it’s extremely rocky the little section of beach looks to be quite protected from the ocean at low-tide and seems perfect for young kids, be careful to keep a close watch on them – the ocean get’s pretty fierce pretty quickly and the rocky outcrops make it very easy for even young kids reach this danger zone.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight

We really do have beautiful sunsets in Winter.

On the other side

I’m reasonably tall so I’m able to see over the barrier to what’s below – so this photo is for the benefit of those who can’t see over the barrier. As you can see – all that you’re missing out on at low tide is a large outcrop of rock!

Winter at the beach

We do so miss the sun in winter. Even though we have plenty of sunny days, there are still far too many dull and grey days for my liking. Perhaps when I’m rich one day I’ll follow summer around the world. Good plan, don’t you think?

Mussels rocks sea

The starfish uses its powerful arms to slowly pull the mussel’s shell open. Once the gap between the two shells is large enough it turns its stomach inside out and forces it into the shell and digests the mussel right in its own home! Who would have thought the sea star to be such a vicious foe?!

I took this photo at the beautiful and peaceful Clifton 4th beach.

Train with a sea view

The train itself is crummy inside – nothing much to behold, and it’s a little dirty inside and (as you can see) especially so on the outside!

On the plus side, locals and visitors are able to buy a special tourist ticket that costs around R20. The specific ticket is a day pass that allows for traveler to hop on and hop off at any station along the route from Cape Town to Simon’s Town. Isn’t that awesome!?

Oystercatcher Way

This particular path is a long, narrow, winding set of stairs that lead down to Cape Town’s trendy Clifton 4th beach… a buzz of a place in summer but on this clear-yet-cool autumn day, practically deserted.

After descending the many steps to the clean white sand, I decided to leave my shoes in a particular spot in order to collect them on my return. Unfortunately, on my return, they had mysteriously grown legs and walked off. I first though that someone had stolen them, but then later realised that since I’d wandered out of sight, it’s completely plausible that someone in need of shoes found them and assumed that the owner had abandoned them… the beach was after all pretty deserted!

I needed new shoes anyway.

Jet Ski

Do you perhaps know more about this? Please leave a comment if you do!

Granger bay

While visiting, be sure to take a walk along the breakwater (to the left of the photo) – and, when you’re tempted to step out onto them, be extra careful not to slip and fall down between the dolose. I did so once – it sure was painful – I shall not repeat the incident.

The sun sets on summer

If you missed the previous 5 photos in this series, click here to jump to the beginning.

The sun sets on summer

And there Cape Town surprises us all with a beautifully warm weekend filled with plenty of sun and warmth ideal for visiting the beach. Don’t worry though, next week will see winter returning with all her chilly force. Brace yourself Cape Town – and remember to think of this weekend when you’re freezing your toes blue towards the end of the coming week.

Sun sets on summer (and a pirate boat)

Wouldn’t it be awesome to hire the boat for an adult pirate party – at around this time of day?

In case you missed my previous post, I’m publishing a few photos of the sun setting on what could have been the last warm day until summer arrives at the end of the year. See the previous photo in the series here.

The sun sets on summer

You may have noticed that I’m about a week behind on publishing photos. So, please excuse me while I take the opportunity to catch up by posting a small set of photos that I took on Friday. This set of pics may after all turn out to be the our last reminder of Cape Town’s last warm day until summer arrives!

Do you recognise the location?

Life Guards at Big Bay

While visiting their website I came across an interesting article on rip currents, how they work, how to identify them, and (more importantly) how to escape them. I’ve always heard that in the event of being caught in a rip current that you shouldn’t try to fight against it, but rather swim along the shore until you escape it. Read the article, take a look at the pictures, and familiarise yourself with the technique – it could save your life.

The Twelve Apostles

This is the view that meets you as you leave Table Mountain’s the upper cable station – the Atlantic ocean with the Twelve Apostles mountain range stretching into the distance. Isn’t it a beautiful view?

I took a similar photo as the sun was setting about two years ago, and based on that experience I’d definitely recommend an early evening trip up the mountain (especially if it’s a warm and windless evening), it’s one of the most beautiful views of the sun setting over the ocean. A word of caution though – always take a warm top or jacket along no matter how warm it seems at the lower cable station – it get’s kinda cool 1KM up in the sky.

Dismantling a shipwreck

I’m sure you can see that progress has been made in taking her apart, but still there’s an awful amount of metal that’s yet to be removed. Isn’t it weird how easy it’s for a ship to sail across the water and how difficult it is to remove it once run aground? I’m sure if it were possible that the ship would have been towed to Table Bay harbour for dismantling. :-/

Dolphins swimming at the Waterfront

While having breakfast at the Table Bay Hotel and enjoying our quiet spot outside, we noticed a burst of excitement on the pier. Gazing out towards Fish Quay, we spotted a small school of dolphins playing what seemed like a game of tag.

Contrary to how it may appear, we don’t actually spend that much time at the Waterfront, and while I’m not sure how common this sight is, it’s certainly the first time either Kerry-Anne or I have seen dolphins in the harbour.

The small school frolicked in the water for about 10 minutes and eventually headed off to the open sea. I’m sure it was a very memorable experience for the tourists visiting the Waterfront at the time – especially one little Asian boy who kept jumping up and down like a jack-in-the-box, pointing in the dolphins’ direction.

Sea Point Promenade

Although I’m really happy to live where we do – out in a quiet neighbourhood in the northern suburbs – one of the things that makes me a little jealous of people living in the Green Point/Sea Point area is the Sea Point promenade, pictured here.

As Paul mentioned in a previous post about the promenade, the path runs for about 3km along the beach and seafront, stretching from Mouille Point to Sea Point. On pretty much any summer’s evening (and most winter’s evenings too) you’ll find the promenade filled with joggers and walkers. Where we live, if we want to take a walk in the evening after supper, we either have to drive somewhere a little more interesting (bit pointless, really) or make the most of the neighbourhood scenery – which consists mostly of houses, houses, and yet more houses.

If I lived anywhere in the vicinity of Sea Point, I think I’d be out on the promenade most days, either diligently exercising, or else lazily reading a book. Where’s your favourite spot for taking walks? Is it close to your house, or do you have to drive to get there?

A view of Table Mountain

The people on board appeared to be repairing the ship and the noise was possibly a result of them grinding away rust and replacing broken bits with new sheets of metal.

I thought at first that this was an awesome workshop. From this location workmen on the ship have a perfect view of Table Mountain and close-up view of the beautiful Blouberg beaches. However, considering this a little longer led me to decide that it must be a terrible place to work! It may be great when the weather’s good, but surely it’s awful to be stuck aboard this “prison island” when the weather is poor and the seas are rough? Nowhere to escape, nowhere to run, not many places to hide!

Great as it may have been this day, I’m a little surprised to come to the conclusion that I think, on average, I’d still prefer my air conditioned office!

Salt Restaurant at the Ambassador Hotel

In my next post I’ll tell you a little more about the awesome meal that we enjoyed, but for now, visit their website to see the beautiful photo taken of the view from inside the restaurant. It’s truly a spectacularly romantic spot for evening dining.

Big Bay beach

The water on this coastline is generally pretty cold, however (in my experience) not quite as cold as the waters of Clifton, Camps Bay and Llandudno. Big Bay and Blouberg Beach are extremely popular with kite-fliers and kite-surfers, but fortunately these guys tend to keep well clear of the more populated parts of the beach.

When I was youn my parents use to bring my brother, sister and I to this area to swim. Although the riptide can be quite strong, the area has a number of fairly well-protected pools surrounded by annoyingly-jagged rocks (which I remember navigating slowly without shoes).